Automatic clutch



March 29, 1949. a. GISONNO 2,465,444

AUTOMATIC CLUTCH Filed Feb. 6, 1947 Nth/ENTOP, 650/6; 6 6/5 o/v/voPatented" Mar. 29, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE George Gisonno,Brooklyn, N. Y. Application February 6, 1947, Serial No. 726,820

1 Claim;

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in clutches, andrelates particularly to an automatic clutch.

More specifically, the invention proposes a clutch which willautomatically close at a predetermined speed and remain closed at speedsabove said predetermined speed and which will automatically open whenthe speed falls down to and below said predetermined speed.

It is proposed to characterize the new and improved clutch by the factthat it includes a driver hub housing for engagement on a driver shaft.a driven hub housing for engagement upon a driven shaft, and frictionmembers connected with said housings and engageable with each other fortransmitting rotations from said driver housing to the driven housing.It is proposed to provide weights radially movably mounted on the driverhousing and to provide means for operating said friction memberscontrolled by the positions of said weights which are directlycontrolled by the speed of rotation of the driver housing.

Still further the invention proposes the construction of an automaticclutch as described which is simple and durable and which may bemanufactured and sold at ,a reasonable cost.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawing, and to the'appended claim in which the variousnovel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawing forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an automatic clutchconstructed in accordance with this invention.

' central section l8 and a container section II.

The shaft ll engages into the tubular section Hi. The tubular section l6extends into thedriven hub housing l2. The inner end of thetubularsection 16 is provided with a stationary collar l8 which is threadedlyengaged on the end thereof. The friction members H are in the nature ofinner discs provided with a plurality of inner lugs l9 which engagelongitudinal grooves 20 formed upon the tubular member 16. The frictionmembers I 5 are in the nature of outer discs located alternately betweenthe inner discs l4 and provided with external lugs 2| which engagegrooves 22 formed upon the driven hub housing l2.

Separator springs 23 are positioned internally of the outer discs l5 andbetween the inner discs I! and act normally to urge all of said discstion members and I5. More specifically, the

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view' taken on the line 22 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 ofFig. 1. The automatic clutch, in accordance with this invention,includes a driver hub housing ill for engagement on a driver shaft 1 l,and a driven hub housing l2 for engagement on a driven shaft I3. One ormore friction members ll are connected with the driver housing l0 andare engageable with one or more friction members l5 connected with thedriven hub housing l2 for transmitting rotations from said driverhousing to said driven housing.

In the particular design of automatic clutch illustrated on the drawingthe driver hub houspressure member 26 is splined on the tubular sectioniii of the housing In so as to be capable of sliding longitudinally. Oneend 21 of the pressure member 26 engages-against, the outermost of thefriction members l4, l5.

A train of gears connects each weight 24 with the pressure member 26 foroperating the pressure member by centrifugal force of the weights whilethe driver housing l0 rotates. Each of these gear trains includes rackteeth 29 formed upon each weight 24 and meshing with a gear 33 mountedupon a shaft 3| rotatively supported across bearings 32 formed ormounted on the driver hub housing In. The shaft 3| is also provided withpinions 33 which mesh with racks 34 mounted or formed on the pressuremember 26. The arrangement is such that when the weights 24 moveoutwards, the gears 30 will be turned, turning the shafts 3|, thepinions 33, and causing the racks 34 to move longitudinally for movingthe pressure member 26 so that the pres! sure member engages thefriction members l4 and [5 with each other and against the stationarycollar I8. In this condition the clutch is closed and capable oftransmitting rotations.

Resilient means are provided for opposing the ing in is formed of twosections, namely, a tubular centrifugal force of the weights 24 forautomatically re-opening the clutch. This resilient means comprisessprings 20 acting to move the pressure member 26 longitudinally in theopposite direction to which it is moved by centrifugal force of theweights 2. The springs 36 are mounted upon studs 31 which are threadedlyand thus stationarily mounted on the driver hub housing ill. The outerends of the studs 31 are formed with slots 28 for a screw driver bywhich they may be adjusted. Lock nuts 39 are threadedly engaged in theouter ends of the studs 31 to hold them adjusted. The inner ends of thestuds 21 are provided with heads 40 against which the springs 36 hear.The springs 26 are mounted upon the studs 31 and act between the heads40 and lugs 4| formed on or projecting from the sides of the'pressuremember 26.

The operation of the automatic clutch may be understood from thefollowing:

Rotations from the driver shaft ii rotate the driver hub housing i whichconsists of the tubular section i6 and the container section I! rigidlyconnected together. Normally, the clutch is open because of theseparator springs 23 holding the friction members I and IS in separatedpositions. Rotations of the driver hub housing i0 cause the weights 24to move outwards due to centrifugal force. As the weights 24 moveoutwards the gear trains connected with said weights transmit motion tothe pressure member 26 which moves longitudinally forwards and towardsthe friction members it and is. When a predetermined speed of the driverhub housing iii is reached the weights 24 will have assumed a positionin which the pressure member 26 has moved the friction members it and ifrictionally into contact with each other. Now rotations from the driverhub housing in will be transmitted first to the inner discs i4 and fromthese discs to the outer discs I. The outer discs IS in turn drive thedriven hub housing i2 which drives the shaft iii.

The tensions of the springs 36 may be adjusted for controlling the speedat which the automatic clutch closes and opens. The lock nuts 39 may beloosened and then the studs 31 adjusted for increasing or decreasing thecompression of the springs 36. This controls the resilient reactionagainst the weights 24.

It should be understood that when the driver hub housing it reaches apredetermined speed the automatic clutch closes and remains closed forall speeds above this predetermined speed. When the speed of the driverhub housing falls to and below this predetermined speed the clutchautomatically opens.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to allchanges and modifications coming within the scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is:

An automatic clutch, comprising a. driver hub housing having a tubularcentral section for engagement on a driver shaft and a container sectioncoaxially about said tubular central section, a driven hub housing forengagement on a driven shaft, friction -members connected with saidhousings and engageable with each other for transmitting rotations fromsaid driver housing to said driven housing, a pressure member slidablymounted on and splined with said tubular central section and locatedwithin said container section and extending out and against saidfriction members for engaging said friction members with each other whenmoved outwards, a rack connected with said pressure member and extendinglongitudinally of the axis of said tubular central section, a radial pinmounted on and within said container section, a weight slidably mountedon said pin, a gear train connecting said weight and said rack formoving said pressure member outwards when said weight moves outwards bycentrifugal force while said driver housing rotates, a spring connectedwith said pressure member for urging it inwards and extending parallelto the axis of said tubular central section, and an adjustment screw forcontrolling the tension of said spring connected with said spring andalso extending parallel to the axis of said tubular central section andadjustably mounted on and through said container section for controllingthe tension of said spring from the exterior of said container section.

GEORGE GISONNO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 736,277 Lombard Aug, 11, 1903982,042 Ellett Jan. 17, 1911 Re. 20,426 Banker June 29, 1937 2,089,870Young Aug. 10, 1937 2,217,357 Coe Oct. 8, 1940

